Top Tips for Attracting Talent in Revenue Management Recruitment

“Ideally, it’s about succession planning and working towards that internal candidate who is already familiar with the culture and systems in place. However, LinkedIn and Recruitment agencies certainly offer a valuable resource if you are looking outside of the organization. Typically recruitment agencies would be after trying to source directly as often your networking efforts can deliver.”

“As much as recruitment remains a challenge, it is becoming more and more difficult to find the right people for the job. Even if you find the right candidate, it’s hard to retain staff. Work environment, right approach, training and development etc., are just some of many things that the candidate looks at whilst applying for the job.

Although LinkedIn, Recruitment agencies and other platforms help to find the right person for the job, still I believe that training someone internally would be ideal for the company. This will help in slowing down the revolving door, although wouldn’t stop it completely. More support, appreciation and flexibility whilst hiring is the key. There are graduates interested in revenue management which also can be one of the successful recruitment drives in this area of hospitality.”

“Hotels need to have a clear and realistic job description. A healthy work environment is needed also. Hiring and promoting internally is also a great bet, and you have to ensure you can apply business cases or real situations in the interview process.”

“The hospitality industry is losing appeal, so the question for me is not what is the approach or the channel that you use to recruit, but what do you offer to attract and retain talent. We must motivate, engage and provide clear objectives when it comes to professional and personal growth and a career path possibility. Revenue Management is a role that requires passion and dedication, the responsibility is huge and so should be the opportunity for growth beyond the revenue management itself.

When I started in this role years ago, it was very hard for a Revenue Manager to grow into an operational career and there were so many biases in regard to the role, being linked to an analytical profile only. Times have changed and the function is now commercial and transversal to many disciplines, it is time we really leverage this change and communicate it clearly to source and attract the best talent.”

“The best recruitment is mostly from internal candidates. Revenue management is still very popular therefore it is wise to build and develop a structure in all fields of the rooms division from where revenue managers can arise. Cross exposures to other teams help staff to learn about talents and upskilling. The sponsoring of external revenue management courses will develop the candidates.

In the unfortunate need to fill a senior position with urgency, there is not much else to do other than searching through the usual channels such as social media, networking platforms or recruiting agencies if budget allows. Again, more junior roles can also be acquired from other positions such as Reservations, Distribution, Rateloading or Front Office as long as the affinities for analytics and technology are given.”

“I think LinkedIn is a fantastic channel if used correctly. It is possible for employers to understand many aspects of a person that sometimes do not emerge in the CV, and for job seekers, it is a multimedia channel (posts, videos, comments, etc.) that allows you to enhance aspects of your personality that are difficult to include in a resume, and that allow an employer to imagine how possible candidate could fit and integrate into its property and meet its needs. Reviews/references from other colleagues/former employers are an excellent way to inspire trust and credibility.

Certainly, the current staffing crisis is a real problem but sometimes amplified by the media as the causes are misunderstood. Often the pandemic (with its consequences) has been used as the main excuse to explain the shortage of staff. The supply of skilled workers is there, the problem is that they are often underpaid or there is an inability to attract or retain them for a long time.

Some companies have adopted interesting approaches, such as giving the candidate the opportunity to choose which working model to implement (e.g., do you want to work 5 days, have two days off and be paid X or give up a day off and be paid Y? Do you want to work entirely in-house, entirely remotely or partly in-house and partly remotely?). Another aspect is certainly the ability to offer adequate benefits, not only economical but also psychological and social ones (e.g., free access to various attractions, agreements with local operators, etc.).

The truth is that the workers are there, it would be enough to attract them in the right way. Staff is the other type of customer of the hotel, alongside the real guests. Dissatisfied staff, in the long run, will inevitably lead to dissatisfied guests, then to a decline in reputation, which in turn will lead to a drop in revenues, which in turn will generate a cut in costs and services and to less qualified staff, in an endless negative spiral.

That’s why it’s better to invest in staff satisfaction by sacrificing a small portion of the GOP in the short term, rather than saving on HR costs and then complaining that no staff can be found. This choice will certainly pay off in terms of profits in the medium to long term.”

“It’s important to focus on the benefits for the employee instead of solely concentrating on the features of the job. As a first step, make sure you have a clear brand story, employer vision and a mission. Next, you want to be specific about the type of employee you want to attract. Ask yourself – who are you looking for? Define and describe in detail the level of experience, skills, type of communication, age, demographics, expectations both ways etc. Then determine where they are at (channels, online, offline, agencies, schools, direct network) and then focus on hiring that exact person.”

Ask a Question & Join Our Expert Panel

Would you like a question to be answered by our Industry Expert Panel? Or would you like to join our community of experts and share your experience, insights, and knowledge with fellow industry professionals? Via the buttons below you can submit a question or submit a request to become part of our expert panel.